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Apparently, Social Media Offers Transparency

So you’ve signed up for Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Snapchat, and Pinterest…and then realized you might need a little less social activity in your life. There was no fee to sign up for these social media services, but there has to be a cost somewhere, right? Where does your personal data go? If you cancel a social profile, is your account (and account data) really gone for good? No worries! If you are having second thoughts, we can walk you through the data maze so that you know exactly what you are and aren’t getting into.

Free and Open Data Collecting Machine

The web got its start 25 years ago (happy anniversary, Internet!) and was deemed an open and free sharing network for one and all. Countless events have transpired in those 25 years, mostly for the greater good of humankind (or at least the 40% of the world’s population currently online) but we would be naive to think it would be free of evil persuasions. We ask not that you fear the Internet and its limitless data (and therefore data collection), but that you not lose sight of the immense database it is. You can think of social media as a sub-file in the sea of databases. Don’t fear social media, but educate yourself with how and when the info that you share can be accessed and viewed by others. True fans ourselves, we encourage you to continue getting your social on like the smart and informed person you are!

Facebook

Contrary to popular belief, it is possible to delete your Facebook account (it can also be deactivated, if you just want a break and plan on coming back at a later date). To delete, you must be patient. Once action has been taken, you musn’t log back in for two full weeks or your account will reactivate. However, this does not necessarily mean your data will be deleted so you might opt to take care of that yourself by manually deleting items from your profile before you delete your account. Even then, there are no guarantees.

Snapchat

Snapchat provides much less data to the authorities than the social media giants because all open communications are automatically deleted and unretrievable. However, they are subject to summons for unopened messages, which remain on servers run by Google for 30 days.

Instagram

Pinterest

So far, government authorities are not hounding Pinterest users’ data. Or at least not to the extent of the other social giants. But they do have Pinterest on their radar as their first transparency report was revealed last week. The results? Only 12 government (combined state and federal) requests in six months.

Pinterest accounts can be deactivated but not deleted. Suggestion: delete individual data and images prior to deactivating and remove any third party logins (if applicable).

Bliss is in the Eye of the Beholder

Social media has been a great tool for growing interpersonal relationships and also forging business-client connectivity but isn’t necessarily for everyone. We understand! Know the facts and do your research before proceeding and always use your common sense when it comes to your personal data. And for those of you social media lifers, we hope we have educated and informed you so that you can carry on with your social media bliss!